Endurance
by Solivagant
Summary: Emily can only take so much Zoe...
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Lie to Me or any of the characters, places, themes, etc. I also don't own House or America's Funniest Home Videos, or anything about them. No copyright infringement intended.**

**1000 Themes Challenge Number 230**

**A/N: The beginning is a bit boring, or at least I think so, but I'm thinking this story will get better. If not, then I'll just abandon it like I tend to.**

**And guys? Yeah, um, sorry about the too many stories at once thing. Don't bother reading 'em.**

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**Endurance: Chapter 1**

"Zoe," Cal said. She turned to look at him. "Can you take Emily home?" he asked.

"Yeah, sure Cal."

Emily looked up at her dad, one eye brow raised.

"I have some work I need to get done, okay?" Cal said to her.

"Yeah. Whatever." Emily shrugged and went to join her mom.

"Bye, Zoe. And thanks," Cal said.

"Bye."

Cal gave Zoe a quick kiss on the cheek. He glanced down just in time to see an expression of disgust cross his daughter's face. Cal knew that Emily didn't want him and Zoe to be together. She had always hated their fights and prolonged silences. Still, Cal loved Zoe, and that just couldn't be helped.

Emily turned away from her parents and strode down the hall, trying, and failing, to keep her anger in check. Moments later, she heard Zoe's heels clicking on the floor as she came down the hall after her daughter.

"Are you okay, sweetie?" Zoe asked, laying a hand on Emily's shoulder.

"Yeah, fine." She shrugged off Zoe's hand and sped up.

Zoe sighed, wishing Emily would just talk to her. When she got outside, Emily was already leaning against her car, arms folded, and face blank. The ride home passed in a tense silence. The minutes seemed to drag by.

"Do you want anything to eat?" Zoe asked when they were back at her house.

"No, mom. I'm good."

"Okay. I'll be upstairs if you need anything."

"Which I won't," Emily muttered.

"Well, just in case, hon."

"Then that's just good to know," Emily said sarcastically.

"Em, what's bugging you?" Zoe asked.

"Nothing," she responded flatly.

"I'm not your dad. But I can at least tell when you're not happy."

Emily paused. She knew she couldn't tell her mom, though. It wasn't like she would even understand. "I'm fine," Emily said after a minute.

"Emily-"

"Just don't worry about it," she said irritably.

Knowing that her daughter would never open up to her, Zoe just said, "Alright. Be in bed by eleven, okay?"

"Mom, it's summer. Does it really matter?"

"Yes, it does. I want you to get enough sleep."

"Whatever," Emily said. She crossed her arms and waited for Zoe to leave. There was no way she would be in bed by eleven, though. Her mom would be asleep by ten thirty. Emily didn't actually have to listen to someone who was sleeping, did she?

"Okay," Zoe said. "I love you, Em."

"Yeah, sure mom."

Zoe didn't say anything. She turned and went upstairs to her room. When she was out of sight, Emily dropped onto the couch and picked up the remote. She turned on the TV and began flipping through the channels. House was on. She decided to watch that. The episode was from last season, it was the one that was about Thirteen and Spencer. But since she had already seen it more than once, she let her thoughts wander.

Emily liked her mom, and she liked her dad. When they were apart, anyway. She just didn't want them to get back together. It had been bad enough the first time, before the divorce, with all of their constant fights and yelling late into the night. They had cursed at each other well past midnight when they thought she was already asleep, and they had blamed each other for anything and everything. More than once, Emily had cried herself to sleep listening to them scream at each other. Even though she was acting really angry about it, she wasn't at all mad at her parents. She was scared about what would - could - happen.

Besides, Emily really liked Gillian, and she had just divorced Alec. Emily also liked how happy her dad was when he was around Gillian. He was carefree in a way he hadn't been since he had met Zoe. And Emily saw the way his gaze lingered on his colleague. Cal may have liked Gillian, that was true, but he loved his ex wife. There was a big difference, and to Emily the gap was just too wide.

Emily yawned. She focused on the TV again. Cuddy had just caught Thirteen giving herself IV fluids as a shortcut hangover cure. Now they were both in Cuddy's office. House came in… Thirteen was fired. Bored, Emily changed the channel to America's Funniest Home Videos. She watched the videos play out. The only problem was, none of them were really all that funny.

Emily flashed back to a moment from a month or so ago.

Gillian Foster had just found out that Alec, her husband, was cheating on her. Where did she go? To Cal, of course. She showed up in the middle of the night, crying her eyes out. Cal had gotten her calmed down, but she was still depressed to have found out about her husband. The solution was to watch AFV. Emily remembered the three of them sitting on the couch, laughing themselves to tears at the videos. Gillian and her dad kept glancing at each other the whole time, grinning, and looking away. It reminded Emily of sixth grade. But finally, she said she was tired, though it was only nine, and went upstairs, leaving her dad and Dr. Foster alone downstairs. That was the only time she had ever laughed herself to sleep.

Just thinking of that time made Emily smile. She turned off the TV and grabbed a random book off the coffee table. After a hot shower, she changed into her pajamas and hopped into bed, reading until she couldn't stand to look at another word. Then she turned off the lights and drifted off to sleep, wondering what would happen if her dad ever figured out his feelings for Dr. Foster.

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**TBC... Probably.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Lie to Me or any of the characters, places, themes, etc. No copyright infringement was ever ever EVER intended. Thank you, and have a nice day.**

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**Endurance: Chapter 2**

"Do you mind if I hang around today, Cal?" Zoe asked him.

"No, of course not. Why, though?"

Zoe shrugged, ignoring Emily's irritated groan. "They called to tell me that it's slow at the office today, and I wasn't really needed."

Cal nodded slowly. She was lying, but he didn't care. That bothered him a bit, but he didn't think much of it. "Alright, I don't mind. Emily?"

"No, _of course_ I don't mind," she said sarcastically.

"Sorry, love," Cal said to her.

Emily shrugged. "I'm going to go find Dr. Foster."

"Have fun."

"I will," she muttered. Emily started off down the hall. She paused to look back at her parents. They were walking in the opposite direction, hand in hand. Emily gritted her teeth and turned away. He dad still loved Zoe, and nothing was going to change that.

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Cal looked after his daughter, worrying about her. He had seen the annoyance on her face when he had told Zoe that she could stay. And when Emily said Foster's name… there was a flicker of hope, or… or something.

Zoe took his hand, silently demanding his attention. Cal plastered a fake smile on his face, knowing that she would never see through him. Zoe never did. That was one of the many differences between Foster and his ex wife. Gillian knew him better than Zoe ever would. Or rather, Cal let Gillian know him better; he opened up more to her than he had with Zoe.

Keeping the smile on his face, Cal turned back to Zoe. He tried to force Foster out of his mind, and, for the most part, succeeded.

"C'mon," Zoe said. "Let's go."

Cal nodded. He glanced back at Emily one more time before walking away with Zoe, pretending to laugh with her, pretending that he enjoyed her company.

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Emily sped up, trying to remember where Gillian's office was. She turned and strode down another hall. Finding Dr. Foster's office, she knocked on the door.

"Come in," Gillian's soft voice called.

"Hi," Emily said, entering the office.

"Hi, Emily. How are you?"

"Good, I guess," Emily replied, sitting in the chair across from Gillian.

"Oh, what's wrong?"

"Well…" Emily paused. She decided that she could tell Dr. Foster. After all, Gillian wasn't Zoe. She would understand, and Emily trusted her. "It's… It's my mom and dad, getting closer and all."

"Oh, yeah. I saw them together the other day."

"You don't like it either," Emily stated.

Gillian looked levelly at her. She tried to keep her face straight and expressionless, but she should have known better than to try and hide what she felt from Emily. Cal had taught her a lot, after all.

"You like him," Emily accused.

"Yes, I do," Gillian said simply. Cal's daughter wouldn't be fooled by a lie.

Emily nodded as if she already knew that. Which, come to think of it, she probably did. "I just wish…" she trailed off, blushing and looking away.

"Wish it was me with your dad instead?"

"Well… Yeah."

"Sometimes I wish the same thing," Gillian said quietly.

Emily glanced up at her in surprise. That was more than Gillian had ever told her. Actually, she was being more honest than anyone had ever been with her. Her mom and even her dad lied to her constantly to try to keep her from seeing what was up. It was like they thought she didn't notice them sneaking around together.

"Sorry, Emily," Gillian said, seeing the shock on the girl's face.

"No," Emily said quickly. "It's alright. It's just… I can only take so much of my mom."

"I can't stand her sometimes, either."

Emily smiled, then burst out laughing. Gillian couldn't help it, she joined in too. Just then, Cal opened the door. When the two of them saw him, they stopped laughing and their smiles faded. Cal couldn't help but wonder what they had been laughing about. In a way he was jealous, too. Lately, Emily hadn't been that open and carefree around him. Gillian hadn't either, for that matter.

"Um, Emily," Cal said, "do you want to go out for lunch with me?"

"Mom too?"

"No, just the two of us."

"Then sure," Emily said. She glanced at Gillian, who smiled slightly at her.

Cal's eyes darted from his daughter to Gillian. He didn't like the way Emily had agreed only after he told her that Zoe wasn't coming along, or that she seemed to trust Gillian more than she trusted him. "Alright. C'mon." He held a hand out to Emily.

She ignored it, standing and brushing past him out of Gillian's office.

"See you later, Gillian!" Emily called over her shoulder.

"Have fun, Em!" she said cheerfully.

"Bye, Foster," Cal said to her.

"Bye," she replied flatly.

Cal sighed and tried not to let his disappointment and doubt show. He turned and followed Emily out the door without a backwards glance. Out in the parking lot, Emily was waiting for him, arms crossed across her chest. They got in the car and drove to a local Mexican place they both loved.

"So," Cal said, keeping his eyes focused on the road. "You like Dr. Foster."

"Gillian? Yeah, she's nice."

"Em, are you okay with me and your mom?" Cal asked, getting right to the point.

"Yeah, of course, dad," she lied.

"Tell me the truth, love."

"Okay, but you asked. No, I'm not at all fine with it. I mean, don't the two of you even remember how bad it was back when you were married? Fighting all the time and all? You know, there is a reason you got divorced."

Cal was silent for a moment. Emily changed the radio station and turned up the volume.

She meant the world to Cal. He loved his daughter, and he really did want the best for her. And fighting with Zoe just wouldn't cut it. If Emily didn't want them together… Fine. It wouldn't happen. Zoe would have to go. It was his daughter versus his ex wife, and the winner was Emily. Cal was almost surprised by how easy the desicion seemed.

"I know, Em," Cal finally said.

She didn't know what to say to that, so she just turned up the volume some more and turned to look out the window. Not before Cal caught a glimpse of the satisfied smile that was slowly spreading across her face, though.

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**A/N: Yay!! I'm so proud of myself, actually writing a second chappie and all:) Review please!!**


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